Consul General Yuan Nansheng bids farewell to San Francisco

San Francisco, Nov.10, (People's Daily Online)----Yuan Nansheng, consul general of People's Republic of China in San Francisco, said goodbye to local representatives at the farewell reception on Monday.

"I arrived in San Francisco on April 5, 2013. It's hard to believe that one year and seven months, 576 days and nights, have passed in the blink of eyes," he said. "As diplomat, we adapt to the comings and goings of our itinerant life. It is never easy to say goodbye, especially when you are in San Francisco."

He said during his tenure, something truly sad and unexpectedly occurred, like the Asiana Airlines crash. "That was one of the most challenging moments in my life," said he. But more time spent here "has been filled with uplifting memories".

In retrospect, the frequency of interaction between sub-national leaders has been unprecedented. He said, "I am proud to say that we have now eight sister provinces and states and more than 40 pairs of sister cities between China and San Francisco Consul District. Edwin Lee, mayor of San Francisco, even paid a visit to China four times a year.”

He said he has also seen an unprecedented expansion of economic cooperation and trade ties. San Francisco Consular District leads the United States in exports to China. The trade with China reached 183.8 billion U.S. dollars last year, accounting 1/3 of the China-U.S. trade in total.

And people-to-people ties continue to grow rapidly and productively.

Mayor Lee among other hundred of attendees from business, art and media showed his caring and reluctance to depart with Yuan. Mayor Lee joked that he had two very important questions to Yuan and one is "Who will be my Ping-Pong partner?"

Leaving the current post does not mean retiring. Yuan told the attendees, "As my tenure draws to a close, I am prepared to pack and say good-bye to this magic city. Yet I am not prepared to retire. My hope is to continue to serve my country with my academic qualifications and professorship."